It’s so exciting to see that the summer is finally upon us. What a year 2021 has been thus far. I know many families are eagerly preparing to enjoy some time away now that the school year is complete and the pandemic guidelines restricting inter-region travel are now relaxed. My family is also looking forward to a much needed change of scenery soon.
One of the prospects associated with the easing of pandemic restrictions this summer season is the ability to hold normal indoor and outdoor personal gatherings again! For someone like myself who really enjoys being around and interacting with our church members, this prospect of connecting with our church community in person once again for fellowship is the one freedom that I am most excited to engage in.
Recently, I had the honour and pleasure of leading the Crossroads Fellowship in a face-to-face lesson on Christian apologetics. We met at a park field, and sat facing one another in a large circle on a warm Friday evening, enjoying icy bubble teas and discussing the origins of morality. At one point in the evening, a random friend of one of the participants walked by our group and actually sat down to join our discussion for about half an hour. Amazing! It was such a refreshing experience to see and interact with real people once again rather than through a computer screen! I had quite honestly forgotten how enjoyable spontaneous dialogue during a gathering could be, rather than having to virtually raise one’s hand and wait for a turn to speak on Zoom. As the evening sun slowly set, we ended our meeting in prayer and I went home experiencing an odd mixture of elation and sadness. A part of me really didn’t want the experience to end, awakening within my spirit a deeper understanding of the role that fellowship plays in the life of a Christian.
I often return to the Book of Hebrews whenever I reflect upon the importance of Christian fellowship in our lives. In the NIV translation, Hebrews 10:23-25 reads:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We’ve seen the daily reported new case counts in our province drop dramatically in the past few weeks, thanks in large part to the COVID vaccine deployment across BC. However, I also acknowledge and respect the fact that there are others who are still cautious regarding the COVID-19 virus vaccine. That is why I’d to encourage all of us at Resonance Church to continue to be respectful towards others and maintain a high standard of safety awareness over the summer months.
As excited as we might be about the possibility of meeting up with friends and family once more, we must also be mindful of the fact that vaccination is not the same as immunization. Vaccinated individuals can still contract and unknowingly transmit the virus to others. It is very possible that the provincial health restrictions could be immediately re-introduced should the daily case counts start rising sharply. Then all the sacrifices made by so many of us to finally reach this point would have been for naught.
Hence I would like to once again encourage all of at Resonance Church to enjoy the freedoms that have been recently granted to us all by our Provincial Health Office, but not to be lax in our personal and societal safety responsibilities. Invite friends and family over for dinner, but intentionally try to sustain safe social distances. Wash hands regularly, especially when we are invited guests. Stay home if we’re not feeling well. Wear masks when dining out with friends and family. And lastly, be kind and respectful to others.
Christ will return one day, of that we can be certain because God never fails to deliver on His promises. This pandemic will one day come to an end. But our witness to the world as followers of Christ carries on until the day Jesus returns in His glory! Thus, let’s keep meeting together this summer and encourage one another onwards towards love and good deeds in His name, respectfully and safely!